


Tea Time

by sarahjacobs



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Jack is a single dad, M/M, single parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:29:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahjacobs/pseuds/sarahjacobs
Summary: David finds out something Jack didn’t want to tell him yet.





	Tea Time

**Author's Note:**

> So Jack Kelly as a single dad has become popular? Like I’ve seen stories & headcanons and honestly, I am so here for it. I love Jack Kelly…a lot and he would make such an amazing dad. Anyways here is my contribution. Also, can you believe this is my 32nd newsies work? What even????

Jack Kelly woke up to the sound of a three year old shouting about a bear in the closet. He smiled to himself; he was used to waking up like this now and he never got tired of it (even if it meant not being able to sleep in).

Jack sighed deeply as he heard the sound of little feet rushing towards his room. He rolled over to see the time and groaned: 8am. Jack's door opened wide and he smiled when seeing the mop of curly brown hair.

"Papa!" She squeals and tries to climb onto the bed. "Papa, there's a bear!"

Jack leans over and helps her onto the bed. She immediately lays on top of him. "There's a bear?" Jack asks her.

"Yes! Come on!" She shouts and stands up on the bed, tugging at his hand. "We're going on a bear hunt!" She recites the story Jack reads to her as she tugs on his hand.

"Thea," Jack says, "How about breakfast first?"

Thea looks at him and pouts.

"Pancakes?" Jack offers.

She continues to pout.

"Waffles?"

"Okay!" Thea cheers and Jack scoops her up into his arms. He rushes to the kitchen, Thea giggling into his ear as she holds on tight. Jack sets her in the floor and she cheers loudly.

"Waffles!" She shouts and takes a seat in her usual dining chair. "Papa, can Uncle Spot come play?"

"I don't know," Jack tells her, "We can call him after breakfast."

—

Spot, in fact, could come over during his lunch to see Thea. She had been running around trying to set everything up so they could play when Spot gets here.

"Papa! Put on the tiara!" She crosses her arms and taps her little foot. Jack takes the pink tiara from the little table and sets it on top of his head. Thea claps her hands together and runs off to grab her dolls and stuffed animals.

"He's here!" Jack heard Thea shout from the living room. Jack quickly gets up and walks towards the front door where Thea was opening it wide. "You aren't Uncle Spot!"

"Uh..." The boy at the door says.

Jack freezes instantly.

"Maybe I have the wrong house," David says.

"No, this is the right house, Dave," Jack slowly walks towards him and Thea.

"Oh..." David says and looks from the little girl to Jack and then back to the little girl.

"Wanna come have a tea party? Spotty will be here for lunch!" Thea invites him in but David declines.

"What're you doing here?" Jack asks, lifting Thea up into his arms.

"We...uh had lunch planned for today," David says awkwardly. "You weren't answering your phone."  

"Oh!" Jack says, "Right! I don't know how it slipped my mind."

"A lot of things seem to slip your mind," Jack's boyfriend says his gaze moving towards Thea who was playing with Jack's hair.

Jack flushes in embarrassment and sets Thea down, "Baby, why don't you go finish setting up the tea party while I talk with David." Thea stares at her dad before looking at David and walking away.

Jack steps out into the hallway and the pair stand in silence. He could see David looking at Jack's hand, Jack holds them up. "I'm not married."

David raises an eyebrow but doesn't push the subject.

"We've been dating for almost a month and I didn't even know you had a kid? What else haven't you told me?" David asks him calmly.

"I've told you everything," Jack says and runs a hand through his hair, knocking the tiara off in the process.

"But not the most important detail of your life!" David says, obviously trying not to shout.

"I didn't want you to judge me because I have a kid! I'm 21, a college drop out with no job..."

"You're an artist!"

"Yeah but that hasn't really helped me any!" Jack retorts. David doesn't say anything and Jack sighs, "I really like you and I didn't want you to think..." Jack shrugged, unsure of how to explain.

"Were you planning on telling me?" David asks him.

"...Eventually," Jack tells him, he goes to say something else but sees Spot walking his way and stops.

"Hey, Jackie boy," Spot greets him, "I brought Wendy's." Spot holds up the fast food bags and grins.

"Thea is waiting inside, she's set up a tea party," Jack tells her. Spot sighs but Jack knows he doesn't actually mind. Spot says nothing else and heads inside.

"Who was that?" David asks, crossing his arms.

"Spot...Sean Conlon, my foster brother," Jack says, "I told you about him."

"Oh, right," David says and shifts uncomfortably.

"I was gonna tell you about Thea," Jack says, "I swear it. I just...was trying to figure out how. Every guy or girl I go out with, they usually break it off when finding out I have a kid."

"How old is she?" David asks him.

"Just turned three," Jack smiles.

"How did you...uh who is?"

"I'd been dating the mother since my Senior year of high school," Jack begins.

"You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable," David interrupts when realizing his question could've caused discomfort.

"We were eighteen," Jack continues, "I was so excited...I loved her and I knew I wanted to be with her no matter what. Uh, she wasn't as excited, I guess I should've noticed but after Thea was born," Jack takes a shaky breath, "I was at class and she was staying with Thea, but I came home to an empty apartment with Thea crying in her crib. She...she left. No note, no letter, no nothing. Haven't seen her since."

"Oh," David mumbles to himself, "I'm sorry!"

"It's fine it's been a while," Jack shrugs, "I managed fine on my own. I had Spot and Race and my Ma."

David doesn't say anything else, but reaches out to place a hand on Jack's shoulder. "This doesn't change anything. If anything it explains why you never want me over and why you skip out on dates."

Jack grins sheepishly, "Yeah..."

"So, I heard something about a tea party?" David asks him and leans down to grab the tiara on the floor. Jack laughs and places the tiara on his head before leading David inside.

"Papa!" Thea shouts. "We were just about to start the tea party!"

Jack grins at Spot who is wearing a feather boa and a purple bow in his long hair.

"This is David," Jack introduces, "He wants to join the tea party."

Thea giggles and jumps up from the tiny chairs to get David something to wear. She grabs a purple tutu and a tiara like Jack's.

"Here," Thea tells him.

David struggles into the tutu and Jack has to keep himself from laughing. As soon as David is in the tutu he sits down at the tiny table, his knees knocking it a bit. David looks over at Jack who is holding the tiara Thea picked out and placed it on David's head.

"There you go," Jack smiles.

"Papa! Listen!" Thea shouts as she stands on her chair. She taps the spoon to the tea cup and clears her throat. Spot gives her a thumbs up and she grins, "Party time!"

Jack laughs and helps her back into her seat. He lifts his tea cup and pretends to drink it. David laughs and holds out his cup, Jack taps it gently.

"Papa!" Thea says and holds out her tea cup. Jack taps her tea cup gently. Then she holds it out for Spot and he does the same.

“Alright, short stack,” Spot begins, “Let’s go eat some food before I have to go to my next class.”

Thea takes his hand and pulls him towards the kitchen.

“Thanks, Davey,” Jack says. He takes the tiara off his head and sets it on table.

“Of course,” David says, “Sorry for being a bit dramatic.”

Jack shrugs, “It’s okay. I would react the same if I found out someone I was with had a kid I never knew about.”

“This was way better than the lunch date we had planned,” David giggles. Jack smiles widely.

“Papa! David!” Thea shouts from the kitchen.

Jack stretches his legs and offers his hand to David, who takes it without hesitation. Jack presses a quick kiss to the taller boys lips and leads him into the kitchen.

 


End file.
